Food storage receptacle for refrigerators



April 20,1943. D. F. NEWMAN FOOD STORAGE RECEPTACLE FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed April 24, 1940 Inventor: Delbert F: Newman, by W 5.

His Attorney...

Patented Apr. 20, 1943 FOOD STORAGE RECEPTACLE FOR REFRIGERATORS Delbert F. Newman, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application April 24, 194% Serial No. 331,443

4 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to food storage receptacles associated with the refrigerated compartments of refrigerators for storing ice cubes and for preserving fruits, green vegetables, meats and the like.

The refrigerated compartment of a household refrigerator is usually maintained at an average temperature between 40 F, and 45 F. for general refrigeration purposes. An average temperature within this range may be maintained in the refrigerated compartment by the convection currents of air set up therein by a cooling unit or refrigerant evaporator located in the upper portion of the refrigerated compartment. In the usual refrigerator this result is obtained by maintaining the temperature of the surface of the refrigerant evaporator considerably below 32 F., for example, 20 F. During operation of the refrigerator, the refrigerant evaporator removes a considerable amount of the moisture present in the air circulated in the refrigerated compartment which appears upon the surface of the refrigerant evaporator in the form of frost, resulting in the maintenance of an atmosphere in the refrigerated compartment having a low relative humidity. While a storage atmosphere having a temperature within the range mentioned and a low relative humidity is satisfactory for the preservation of foods in general,

certain types of foods, such for example as green vegetables and meats may be more satisfactorily preserved in a storage atmosphere having a higher relative humidity than that normally maintained in the refrigerated compartment. In order to obtain a storage atmosphere having a higher relative humidity than that of the air circulated in the refrigerated compartment of a refrigerator, I have provided a food storage receptacle embodying a ventilating arrangement for controlling the amount of air circulated therethrough. This food storage receptacle is also arranged so that a View may be had of the articles stored within the receptacle.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved construction and arrangement of a food storage receptacle adapted to be placed in the refrigerated compartment of a refrigerator which is adapted to maintain a storage atmosphere therein having a higher relative humidity than the air circulated in the refrigerated compartment.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of a foodstorage receptacle adapted to be placed in the refrigerated compartment of a refrigerator for viewing the articles stored within the receptacle.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a refrigerator of the domes tic type embodying the principles of my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view, partly broken away, of details of the food storage receptacle shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

I have provided a thermally insulated refrig erator cabinet [0 having a refrigerated compartment II, the access opening I2 thereto being closed by a thermally insulated door l3 suitably hinged to the cabinet til. In order to cool the compartment II, I have provided an evaporator Id of any suitable type in the upper portion of the compartment I. Inasmuch as the complete refrigerant circuit forms no part of my invention, only the evaporator or cooling element is represented in the drawing,

A food storage receptacle I5 is provided for maintaining a storage atmosphere having a higher relative humidity than the air circulated in the refrigerated compartment il. As shown in Fig. 1, the receptacle l5 may be supported below the evaporator M as from a shelf it although the receptacle may be disposed in any portion of the compartment and in any suitable manner. The receptacle I5 is provided with a cover ll.

In order to provide the desired amount of ventilation for the interior of the receptacle, and also to permit the user of the refrigerator to view the interior of the receptacle without removing the same from the compartment or removing the cover H, I have provided a closure member 58 on the front wall of the receptacle 15.

The front Wall IQ of the receptacle or pan i5 is provided with an opening 20 through which the contents of the receptacle may be conveniently inspected by swinging downwardly the closure member IS. The closure member is provided with laterally extending ,marginal walls, or a peripheral flange 2t, extending around all four sides thereof. The closure member is pivotally supported on the receptacle by means of a pin 22 carried by the receptacle below the opening 20. In order to facilitate move.- ment of the closure member outwardly from the front of the receptacle when it is desired to inspect the interior of the pan through the opening 20, or when it is desired to regulate the amount of ventilation to be provided, the midportion of the top flange is indented as indicated by the numeral 23.

The lower marginal edge or flange 24 is provided with a portion 28 extending laterally of the closure member at an obtuse angle with respect to the front of the closure member in order to provide a stop for the closure member in the fully open position thereof. The inner edge of the flange is rounded or arcuately shaped inwardly and upwardly for frictional engagement with the face of the wall l9 below the opening 20 during at least a part of the pivotal movement of the closure member, the flange 24 being shaped in such a way that at least a portion thereof will continuously and frictionally engage or contact the adjacent front wall of the receptacle in all desired positions of the closure member within the limits of said part of the opening movement of the closure member. The aforedescribed movement may be a partial opening movement of the closure member or may extend between fully open and fully closed positions of the closure member. Instead of a flange 24 a separate element associated with the closure member or the receptacle and suitably supported between the closure member and the wall may be provided, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In order to bias or urge the lower flange 24 or portion of'the cover l8 into such frictional engagement I have provided resilient means associated with the receptacle and the closure. In the illustrative form of my invention I have provided an element in the form of a bowed spring 25 having parallel and laterally extending end portions 26 passing through suitable openings or slots 21 in the wall IQ of the receptacle, the end portions or lugs 26 serving to receive the pin 22 and therefore provide a pivotal support for the closure member. The bow spring 25 is assembled so that the inwardly directed intermediate portion thereof bears against the interior surface of the front wall of the receptacle which deforms the spring and utilizes the resiliency thereof to retain the closure member I8 in position. Upon swinging the closure member outwardlyfrom the opening 20, the bow spring 25 isflexed as required to accommodate the relative movement of the portions 26 and pin 22 with respect to the front of the receptacle.

In order to eliminate any moment of force tending to rotate the closure member about the pivot point established by the pin 22 because of the effect of the spring 25, I have arranged the shape of the lower portion 24 of the closuremem- .ber, the location of pin 22,,and the position of the spring 25 in such a way that the spring acts along a line or plane extending through the area of contact of the portion 24 on the wall 19 and the pin 22.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A food storage receptacle for use in refrigerator cabinets or the like, a wall of said receptacle being provided with an opening, a closure member for said opening, means adjacent said opening for pivotally supporting said closure member on said wall, said member having a laterally extending marginal flange engaging said wall adjacent said opening in the closed position of said member, said flange adjacent said supporting means having an arcuately extending portion at the free edge thereof, said arcuate portion being arranged to provide continuous engagement with said wall in the vicinity of said supporting means throughout the range of movement of said closure member, and means associated with said receptacle and said closure member for urging said arcuate portion into engagement with said wall, said urging means acting along a line extending through said pivotal support and the area of engagement between said arcuate portion and said wall so that said closure member will remain in any desired position within said range of movement.

2. A food storage receptacle for use in refrigerator cabinets or the like, a Wall of said receptacle being provided with an opening, a closure member for said opening, means adjacent said opening for pivotally supporting said closure member on said wall, said member having a laterally extending marginal flange engaging said wall adjacent said opening in the closed. position of said member, said flange adjacent said supporting means having a laterally extending portion disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to the front of said closure member to provide. a stop for said closure member in the fully open position thereof and then an arcuately extending portion at the free edge of said flange, said arcuate portion being arranged to provide continuous engagement with said wall in the vicinity of said supporting means throughout the range of movement of said closure member, and means associated with said receptacle and said closure member'for urging said arcuate portion into engagement with said wall, said urging means acting along a line extending through said pivotal support and the area of engagement between" said arcuate portion and said wall so that said closure member will remain in any desired position within said range of movement.

3. A food storage receptacle for use in refrigerator cabinets or the like, a wall of said receptacle being provided with an opening, a closure member for said opening, means adjacent said opening for pivotally supporting said closure member on said wall, said supporting means including a member extending through an opening in said wall, said member having a laterally extending marginal flange engaging said Wall adjacent said opening in the closed position of said member, said flange adjacent said supporting means having an arcuately extending portion at the free edge ofsaidfiange, said arcuate portion being arranged to provide continuous engagement with said wall in the vicinity of said supporting means throughout the range of movementof said closure member and means associated with said receptacle and said-closure member for urging said arcuate portion into engagement with said Wall, said urging means being disposed on'the inside of said wall, said urging means acting along a line extendingthrough said pivotal support and the area of engagement between said arcuate portion andsaid wall so that said closure member will remain in any desired position within said range of movement.

4. A food storage receptacle for use in refrigerator cabinets or the like, a wall of said receptacle being provided with an opening, a closure member for said opening, means adjacent said opening for pivotally supporting said closure member on said wall, said supporting means comprising an element disposed on the inside of said wall and having portions extending through openings in said wall, said portions being pivotally joined to said closure member, said member having a laterally extending marginal flange engaging said wall adjacent said opening in the closed position of said member, said flange adjacent said supporting means having an arouately extending portion at the free edge thereof, said arcuate portion being arranged to provide continuous engagement with said wall in the vicinity of said supporting means throughout the range of movement of said closure member, said element between said portions being in the form of a bowed spring engaging the interior surface of said wall intermediate the ends of said spring for urging said arcuate portion into frictional engagement with the exterior surface of said wall, said spring acting along a plane extending through said pivotal support and the area of engagement between said arcuate portion and said wall so that said closure member will remain in any desired position within said range of movement.

DELBERT F. NEWMAN. 

